Sinking Slowly (Hunger Games)
by HannahKittennn
Summary: Its The 16th Anual Hunger Games. 12 boys and 12 girls fighting to death in the arena they're forced into and cant get out of. Just engaged, scout armatta, is chosen to enter the games and has to leave her fiance,Auden, behind. The only way she can get back is to kill those around her and avoid getting killed herself.
1. Chapter 1

My fingers fumbled on a rope as I hauled an anchor over into the water and watched it sink through the blue water and into the darkness. I looked back over my shoulder at my boyfriend, Auden. He was pulling off his worn shirt up over his head and threw it onto the floor of my family's fishing boat. He looked at me with a bright grin. His bright green eyes were almost glowing as he looked at the blue spread of ocean around us; water was his favorite place, and out on the boat was probably the most peaceful place in all of district 4. He looked at me and strode over, wrapping his muscular arms around my waist. I smiled softly and turned away from him

"We came here to fish, remember?" I grabbed a net and set everything up. Auden kicked off his shoes and ran a hand back through his dark hair.

"Actually you came here to fish. I came to swim" he chuckled and jumped into the water. I laughed softly and his head rose from the water, he flashed me his charming smile. "C'mon Scout we only have a few hours left with each other", he muttered. In only a few hours we had the reaping for The Hunger Games, the capitol's only way to keep all the districts in line ever since 16 years ago. One boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts from the ages of 12-18 fight to the death. The capitol just sits back as the tributes slaughter each other. It's all a joke to them, our lives don't matter as long as all districts are under control. Every year from the age of 12 to the age of 18, your name is entered once. Since I was 17 my name was entered 5 times and Auden was 18. His was entered 6 times and for some reason, he was convinced that his name was going to be called. I frowned at what he said. He wasn't going to be picked, the chances of him being picked were slim to none, most teenagers in our District were 18 too so they all had the same amount as entries as him. I just don't understand why he was so paranoid about it when he had no better of a chance of getting pulled than any other boy from town.

"Stop saying that!" I snapped, "You're not going to get picked".

He swam to the board and hung onto the edge. He smiled apologetically and kindly held out his hand to me to help him onto the boat. I reached down and gripped his hand, and before I could even scream my body plunged into the water. I came up and laughed. Auden was just smirking and laughing at me. I swam to him and dunked him under the cold surface of the water. He swam under me and rose behind me and pulled me to him and kissed him. After a few moments of kissing he piled away from me and pressed his forehead against mine

"Let's get married "he said softly with a goofy grin on his face. My eyes widened and I looked up into his eyes and i can tell he's being very serious. There usually is never a time when he's serious like this, hes always goofing around and cracking jokes but by the dark passionate look in his eyes i can tell this isn't a joke, hes being dead serious.

"You can't be serious" I whispered. Marriage at the age of 17 was rare, almost unheard of/ it was crazy, people would think we're losing out minds or I'm pregnant with his parents would not approve of me marrying so young, they would scold me and tell me that it was just wishful thinking that we would last and send me to do my chores and that would be the end of that.

"I have a ring and everything; I bought it in town yesterday. If I'm going to die in the games I at least want to be able to call you my wife" he whispered. So many things were going on in my head at once. I just stared at him for what seemed like houses before I managed to get out one word. On simple, short word that would change everything. It all seemed like one big dream. sure, i thought about me and Auden getting married. Auden and I had even talked about it before a few times but i never thought it would be this soon. I would have never thought to marry him now but at the same time it didn't seem like a bad idea, it seemed right. I knew that me and Auden would end up married someday anyways. I loved him with all my heart just like he loved me with all of his. I had to agree, i didn't have the heart to not agree. what if he thought it meant i would never marry him? what if he did get chosen and i never saw him again? I had to keep those thoughts away from my head as H inhaled a deep breathe before shakily saying the word that would change it all.

"y-yes" I stammered "I-I'll Marry you" I added. He leaned down to kiss me but the clinging of a loud bell rung out from the docks. Auden and I pulled ourselves onto the boat and got the anchor out of the water and sailed towards land. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny little ring with a small gem stone. I smiled wide

"Its beautiful, Auden" I said softly and he just grinned more

"Really? I was hoping you would say that." He said as he pulled the boat up to the docks . I jumped off the boat and tied it up to a post before the clock tower in town square stuck 11:00am. I sighed, only one more hour till I could get called, my brother could get called and even worse, Auden's name could get called and I could lose the love of my life.


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't know how to explain to my mother that I was getting married on the same day that me and my brother Hendrix could be taken from her. So, I decide to wait until after the reaping to say anything. She has been expecting it though, ever since me and Auden started dating.

I thought back to the day when we first met. The day of the reaping, 6 years ago. Him and his older brother, Landen were both in the reaping bowl that year. His brother was 18 and Auden had just turned 12. I was there with my family and we were all hoping that Hendrix wouldn't get picked since he, like Auden was also 12. We were all gathered close and watched as a lady pulled a name and then she called out, "Auden Livingston!"

But before the peacekeepers could even get to Auden, Landen volunteered as a tribute. At the time I barely knew the boys. I only knew that they came in to get fish every week from us. But I remember on that day after the tributes left I walked down to the docks and found Auden there, crying. I hugged him and promised him that his brother would win. Looking back at it no it was a stupid promise to make because I couldn't have been sure of anything. But his brother did win. His brother had gotten his hands on a sword and 3 backpacks and it kept him going well. Ever since Landen returned I'd been Auden's 'lucky charm'.

I smiled as that day came to mind. I walked into our small house and saw my mom at the stove making clam stew for after the reaping. I smiled.

"Mom? Is Dad sober?" I asked.

She turned around and sighed softly, "No, he hasn't been sober for days."

I bit my lip. He was always drinking and it made me sick. He hadn't always been this way. When I was little he was an amazing father but now he was just a middle aged man who stayed in a dark room all day and night, drinking. The only time he ever ventured out was when, mom wasn't home to make him food or he needed to buy more alcohol. I sighed softly and walked to our wash room and changed into a light pink creamy colored dress and rung my soaken wet hair out in the sink and eventually just pulled it back. I walked out to see Hendrix fiddling with a tie. Hendrix was only a year older than me but we could easily be twins with our red hair and green eyes. We were both pale with freckles across our cheeks and noses. I walked over to him and laughed softly, he was normal amazing at tying any type of knot but he couldn't tie a tie to save his life. I tied it quickly .

"thanks " he smiled . I nodded slightly and smoothed it down on his shirt but he stopped me,taking my hand. He held it up infront if his face to get a good look at it. I bit my lip, knowing he was staring at the ring. Hendrix, along with my parents don't like Auden very much. I had no idea why though."so , Auden proposed…" he muttered with a frown settling on his lips. I yanked my hand away .

"yes, he did" I walked out of the front door, knowing my mother and my little brother Kinkade were already far ahead of us.

"does mom know?" He asked as he locked up the house behind us and jogged to be walking at my side. I shook my head gently "you didn't tell her your engaged? That's kind of a big deal ,Scout" He said, looking at me like I was irresponsible

"No, Im gonna tell her after the reaping, Auden is coming over for dinner and we'll announce it. Plus he's brining his moms Seaweed bread. I know its your favorite. So if you keep your mouth shut you can have some" Yeah, that was a good deal. He doesn't talk then he gets food, Fair enough. I stride into the town square and look around at all the people gathering. The area is split into 2 sections. Boys and Girls. I leave my brther once he agrees to my bargain and walk to the girls side. Most of the girls were fussing about how they looked or freaking out about if they got caught. I just sighed softly and stared straight forward at the platform that will soon be hold the representative from the capitol who plans everything for our tributes and peacekeepers. I fiddle with the ring on my finger as people shuffle onto the stage. A woman with bright blue hair goes up and from what I can see it looked like she had something resebling a toy boat in her giant hair. Sha had a long thin body with twigs for legs sticking out fof thw bottom of her dress. The dress she wore was dark blue and faded into lighter blue as you got to the top. She was probably just trying to lighten the mood but It seemed somewhat of a mockery. After she stood at the podium two peacekeepers carried up 2 giants bowls that looked like fishbowls, there were strips of paper in each od the, . The name of every child in our district was in those bowls. The Lady stepped up to the microphone.

"Hello Citizens of district 4! I am Harriette Fidler and today is the day we get our tributes and possibly this years victor chosen!" she said. She then continued to explain why the games happen each was all because of te rebellion in district 13. They just had to go and get themselves in trouble and get bombed. Without them none of this would be happening. Children wouldn't be killed in some games. Harriette walked over to the bowl clearly labeled 'boys'. She walked back over to the podium and leaned up to the microphone "lets start with the young men" she unfolded the paper with her long nails and smiled brightly as if the boy were being called up for some award.

"Brooks Darwin!" She chimed out in a sing-songy voice . The sound of a woman shrieking rings out and I see the boy coming up from the boys group. He looks back at the older lady crying. I guessed it was his grandmother. Brooks was a medium built boy with short hair but that's all I could notice before I scanned the crowd for Auden. He looked at me with a bright grin on his face . He was safe and me and him were free to get married.

"now for the ladies!" Harriette said happily. She was pulling out another piece of paper but I wasn't paying any attention. I was looking at my Auden. We were both exchanging small loving looks.

"and our Female tribute is.." she unfolded the paper and I just kept my gaze on Auden."Scout Armatta!"


	3. Chapter 3

My heart stopped but that didn't stop me from running. I jumped over the rope boundaries and shoved past some people only to run straight into Auden's arms. I sobbed into his chest with a grip on him , not showing any intention of ever letting go. His arms wrapped around me tightly .

"Don't let me go!" I begged as I sobbed. He just kissed my head and clung to me. It wasn't long before the peacekeepers came and started to drag me away. I kicked and screamed and fought with every ounce of strength I had. I couldnt let this happen, i couldnt be taken away from him. I couldnt. I reached my arms out in Auden's direction for any kind of help people would offer. Everyone Just stared at me with sad and sympathetic looks but no one offered any help to either of started to run towards me put more peacekeepers pulled him in the opposite eyes locked for a small moment and i let out a blood curling scream in hopes that it would somehow help. But i had no luck. auden kept trying to come into my direction but the peacekeepers eventually just shoved him to the ground hard enough to knock him out and then they dragged his heavy limp body away. I screamed more and I was thrown onto the platform of wood by Harriette who stared at me as if i was some kind of freak or as if i was ruining her in the crowd started whispering and I was held there only to watch Auden being pulled away.. Tears stung cheeks as Harriett just flashed a bright, Artificial smile and wrapped her hand around my thin arm. her long fake nails that were painted in bright colors dug into my pale skin. she yanked me to my feet and pushed me to stand next to brooks. I glanced up at him and frowned. he had tears in his eyes but he was forcing himself not to let them fall. "District 4, your tributes!"Harriete announenced in her annoying high pitched voice which only seemed innapropriately cheery for the we are ushered inside well, brooks was ushered, I was practically carried, still crying for Auden. I was put in a room and it locked behind me. I stood slowly and shakily and looked around it. It was beautiful, silk curtains draped over a giant window and there were velvet seats to sit on and beautiful paintings hanging on the walls. I sat down on one of the seats and wiped my eyes. I tried to not think about what was going on . I focused on little things around the room such as tiny scrapes on the wooden floor or a picture slightly off center. I tried to think of what life would be like without the thought stings at first but once i forget whats going on it makes me crack a small smile. If there were no games I would probably be out on the boat with Auden still and we could just be having a good time laughing and joking around and just being a pounding on the door brought me back to reality . It was time for farewells. The final last minutes I get with my loved ones before I was sent away. I had to stay strong for them though. Show them I was confident in winning even though deep down I knew I was going to die a horrible death.

The door opens and my mom, Hendrix and little Dillon walked in. Dillon ran to me and jumped into my arms although I could barely hold him since he had gotten so big. he was 6 now but was big built and muscular from working on the boat with me and Hendrix and Sometimes Auden. "please don't go sissy" He cried and clung to me. I kissed his head gently and looked down at him. He was so small and so innocent with his big green eyes that resembled mine so closely. he had a feathering of freckles across his nose and cheeks and long dark eyelashes that were holding back his small tears.

"I'll be back" I whispered and he smiled a little bit "and guess what, I'll even bring you something special from the capitol" I said, that caught his attention and he smiled wide ."Really?" He grinned and I nodded.

"of course, something special, I won't be gone very long, I'll win the games and be back in a jiffy" I say and set him down but he still hugs my legs. I looked at my mother who was even more worried about the situation than me. I hugged her tight "ok mom, I'm just going to tell you now that me and Auden are engaged and when I get back, which I will, I will marry that man. And I will do all I can to come home, take good care of the boys and make sure Hendrix doesn't forget to take the boat out once a day" she nodded and clung to me "I love you momma" I said. She cried into my shoulder since I was a good amount of height taller than had a small frail body and dark chestnut hair with deep hazel eyes, Hester gets his looks frmo my mother with his Auburn hair and deep brown eyes. Dillon and I got our looks mostly frmo our dad who never really came out of him and my mothers room.

" I love you too princess "she kissed my cheek "If daddy ever cleans himself up I'll send your love. Stay safe." I nodded and hugged Hendrix. We didn't have to say anything we just hugged until the peacekeepers came and took them away. I ran a hand back through my hair and sat on the chair again. I knew who was going to be next and I didn't know how I was going to face him. He was in an unstable state and I'm pretty sure I'm losing my mind. There was a quiet knock at the door and Auden's head peeked in then he ran to me as fast as he could and hugged me tight, holding me close to him as if it would keep me here and safe. His eyes filled with tears which was strange for me. I had never seen him cry since the day I found him at the docks' . I owed it to him to stay strong for all the times I was the one crying and he was the one telling me that everything would be ok. I pulled away slightly and kissed his forehead and ran my fingers through his hair gently.

"I-I tried to volunteer, they wouldn't let me because our a girl and I'm a man and brooks was already chosen.." he stammered. I kept stroking his hair, shushing him. I broke my heart to see him like this, so broken up and hurting so badly.

"Its alright .I'll be back. I'll win" I said softly he looked up at me and cupped my face in his hands as if it was the last time he'd ever see me. Like he was trying to take in every detail of my being. I just leaned forward and kissed him passionately on the lips. "I Will be back. And when I do come back we will get married. I promise" There I go again making dumb promises which I knew I couldn't keep for sure. He nodded a little and opened his mouth to say something but a peacekeeper walked in

"times up, tribute "he snarled and grabbed Auden by the arm and lead him to the door. Auden looked at me with desperate eyes. I knew how he felt. He felt like he didnt wanna be torn away from me like his brother was torn away from him when he was only a young boy. Now i could see that little vulnerable boy who was so scared of losing someone he loved so much

.

"I love you scout! I love you so much! You can do It baby girl!" he called to me and the door closed ,leaving me alone in silence. I sat all alone. No one else should come. Sure, I knew everyone in the district but no one cared enough to say goodbye. They all just knew me as the girl who brought them fish once a week. 5 minutes passed. Then 10. I got up and reached to open the door but just as I did Harriett barged in and just looked me over for what seemed like hours.

"well it's going to take a while to make you presentable" she muttered . She was now in another outrageous outfit. It was all blue. A light blue dress fitted close to her body and a dark blue jacket that hung to her knees. She wore 6inch heels and her hair was up in an up do. If anyone was hard to make presentable it was her. She grabbed my arm and started taking long strides down the hall with me. I stumbled after her until I caught up

"Where are we going?" I asked, she looked back at me like I was a moron and just shook her head.

"The train" she said simply in a know-it-all fashion. We got on the train quickly and I was sent to my room. It was a nice sized cabin with a bed, some drawers in the wall and a bathroom. I walked into the bathroom and washed my face to get rid of tear stains on my cheeks and headed to the drawers. I pulled on a light green shirt and some denim pants. once I was done peacekeepers came and took me to a different car. I sighed softly as I entered a room where brooks were sitting with Harriett around the table. But something caught my eye. More like someone. I paused and stared at a grown man standing up with his palms pressed to the table. His broad shoulders and dark hair gave him away instantly; I would know his face anywhere. But before I could get a word out he speaks.

"Scout? What are you doing here?" the man asks. I raise an eyebrow. I know this man. Ive known him since i was a little girl. I know and love his family like my own. His piercing blue eyes bore into mine.

"Well obviously ,I'm a tribute" I said, the words coming out a bit to harsh. His face twisted into a small scowl but it fell into a teasing smirk. "the real question is, What are you doing here ,Landen?" He shook his head, still holding his smirk.

"well obviously" he mimicked "I'm your mentor"


	4. Chapter 4

Landen Livingston

My mentor .not only that but a constant reminder that the man I love, his little brother, is waiting for his fiancé to return, which will eventually happen but I'll most likely be a corpse. I sat down in a chair by brooks and look at him then at Landen who was laughing eyes lit up the same way that Auden's did when he was happy about something, i feared that i would never see those gorgeous eyes again on my Audens face. Auden and Landen had similar facial build with sharp cheekbones and jawlines

"aren't you suppose to be my sister-in-law by now? Has my kid brother still not grown up enough to propose? "He asked with a little more laughing. Trying to lighten the mood. I just rolled my eyes and looked away from him. Landen shook his head and looked between me and Brooks. "You guys have met right?" He asks. I looked at the boy, he was tall and thin but was obviously a fisherman. It was only obvious though because he had the fisherman homemade tattoos on his arm. It's something some fisher came up with years ago. He somehow figured out how to cause perminent tattoos by using this type of plant found by our ocean and a fishing hook. He had a design of a rope around his bicep. My brother had a similar but his looked like a chain. I had always wanted to get one but I knew it would only cause my mother to get angry and the last thing she needed was more stress. I studied him more; he had sandy dark hair and sea green eyes. I racked my memory for who he was. I had seen him before. Then it hit me.

"You're the Mayor's son" I stated, brooks looked at me and nodded.

"And your Hendrix's kid sister, me and him were in the same class" I nodded a little and Landen started speaking again

"Great, We all know each other" he looked at Harriette "oh and this is the capitols little princess, Harriette. And we have the displeasure of having to have her with us on this road to hell, She's going to be telling us where to go and nag us when we're late-"

"Actually!" Harriette interrupted in her little too happy voice, She stood and walked over to him, shooting him a glare and pushing him out of his place at the head of the table "I'm The district 4 planner, I make sure you don't make your district look bad, unlike landen who already has on multiple occasions" She sat back down and held up a tablet with a screen and read it "Today we're stopping at each district to pick you your fellow tributes!" oh joy, we get all the people who have to die within the next few weeks. And the people who could very well kill me. "Once on hey way to the capitol we will re-watch all of the reapings then we will be at the training venter in the morning. And in the morning you start your training, be prepared" she rose to her feet "and dinner is in an hour, you'll meet your prep team either before or after just depending on when they show up" she said and walked out but peeked her head back in "don't be late" she warned then walked out. I bit down on my lip and glanced around the room. Its silent for a few moments until someone speaks, its brooks

"Well…" he started. "Isn't she charming?" he said, eyebrow raised, looking between me and Landen. Landen shook his head slightly and chuckled.

"I was leaning for something more along the lines of crazy but whatever you say" he said. I stood and started to walk out of the room, Brooks jumped up and padded after me and opened the door. "Wait" Landed said, we both looked back at him. He waved brooks off and pointed to me. Brooks chuckled softly and walked out. I stayed by the door, just wanting to leave.

"What do you want?" I snap. He had never been the type of person I liked to talk to with his sarcastic remarks and always trying to lighten the mood with a joke. It's like ridicule because he was safe from the games forever while I had my death sentence.

"so you and the kiddo are engaged?" He asked, leaning forward on his palms like he was when I first found him in this room.I stared at him. he couldn't have known by now. he hadn't seen his brother in over 3 years so i'm sure that Landen wouldn't be the first on his list to tell about our engagement

"how did you-" I started but he cut me off before I could finish

"the real question is how did he manage to pay for a ring like that?" I looked down and saw that Landen was staring at it. I slid my hand into my pant pocket and stuck my nose up and looked at him with slight discust.

"Don't act like you care" I said harshly but he just laughed held up his hands defensively.

"Whoa, calm down. All I'm saying is our family doesn't have that much money to spare on a girl" he said girl like I wasn't worth anything and that it wouldn't last long. I shook my head and glared.

"Well maybe if you actually went and visited him you would know he's been working for Mrs. Porter. Her husband died a few months back and she needed someone to help bring in fish every other day" I say simply "are we done here?" I say and turn to open the door. Landen shook his head to my question.

"so you're getting married?" he asked. I nodded slightly

"If I get back. And if I do don't expect any wedding invitations." I said, wanting to just leave so badly.

"When you get back" he corrected then waved me off "fine, go "he said and I scurried out and walked down to my cabin again and opened the door, only to find 3 people standing there, staring at me with wide eyes. I narrowed my eyes slightly; they were quite an odd looking bunch. There were 2 men and one lady. The lady stood tall with dark skin but brightly colored hair with splashes of different colors. Then the two men, they were obviously twins because of their faces but one had blue hair and the other had green. I started to say something but the lady stepped forward and took a lock of my hair, studying it in her fingers gently and grinned

"

its perfect" she grinned and looked at me and saw the very confused and very annoyed expression on my face. "oh I'm sorry, I'm Avara" she beamed, I just nodded slightly still a bit confused. Was I suppose to know this lady? Have we met? Was she crazy? Was I going crazy? She pointed to one of the men "this is Apollo; he will be doing your make up." She pointed to the boy with green hair "and this is his brother Ares, he's in charge of getting rid of all unwanted hair and blemishes" she said then pointed to herself as if she had some kind of significance "and I , myself, will be managing your hair" she grinned . I just stared at the 3 peopled. They looked so strange. So odd. I wanted to laugh at how much the resembled clowns. If anyone walked around district 4 looking like that they would be thrown into the water. They just kept grinning, waiting for my response "I will also be in charge of your clothes" she added "I just needed to come get a good look at you to see what we had to work with" she grabbed her things and walked over to me, kissing both of my cheeks "pleasure meeting you" she said then walked out with the boys running after her. I didn't understand any of what just went on. I shook my head to forget about it . But once my mind was blank Auden came to mind. The way he would hug and kiss me and tell me how beautiful I was. No, I couldn't have him on my mind right now. Not here and not now. When im alone I will then no one can judge me for how I feel about him and how I act when I think of him.

I looked at the time and realized it was dinner. I walked out of my room and to the dining car and saw that all of the tributes were here now. I was the last to get to dinner, some people looked at me and others were still staring blankly at their food. I walked over to the food and loaded my plate up with all the beautiful ,and wonderful smelling capitol foods. I sit down and look at what I actually got, there was some stew in a bowl on the side and things like fish and bread and salad on my plate then some meet. I had never seen anything like it. I raised an eyebrow and look to either side of me. On one side there's brooks who's obviously deep in thought about something since his hand was holding his fork up right in front of his mouth but he hadn't eaten anything. I look to my other side and see a boy, only about the age of 12 sitting at my side and eating. Not wanting to sound like an idiot to Brooks I look at the boy "uhm, what is this?" I point to the meat with my fork. The boy looks at it and looks at me and laughed softly.

"that's wild turkey, haven't you had it?" he asks and I shake my head

"In district 4 we mainly only have fish and cattle for milk and beef" I say and he nods a little bit

"I'm Darren, district 7" I nodded a little and ran a hand back through my hair

"Scout" I said and that was the end of that short conversation before everyone was taken down to the lounge car where there was a huge television which was already playing the horrors of the reaping. First district one. The girl, bliss was called and then ran on the stage victoriously as if she had one something amazing. Then the boy was called up and he just looked scared like any normal person would. Then district 2, Skye and Grimm. District 3, Kilo and Byte. Then it was district 4. I knew what was going to happen, I didn't want to see it replayed again. Not in front of all the people who may kill me. I close my eyes but couldn't keep them shut as I hear my own scream on the screen. Everyone falls silent and stares as they watch me being pried off of Auden. I look up and make eye contact with bliss accidently. She was district 1. She would be a career and I could already tell she had the rest of the tributes from districts 1,2, and 3 wrapped around her finger. She was rather beautiful with high cheek bones and tanned skin. her hair fell to her shoulders in dark waves and her dark eyes stared into mine. if looks could kill i would already be shot me a smirk then mouthed the words

** "Easy kill"**


	5. Chapter 5

After we watched the rest of the reaping videos I went straight to bed. I stripped down to only undergarments and laid in bed with out being able to get any sleep . In the morning I'm greeted by my prep team first thing. They rave on and one about how training will be. It wasn't long until Ares took notice to my ring. I, myself had been trying to forget about Auden so I wouldn't be so emotional. I just nodded at all of the questions they asked about him. They wanted to know everything. How long we knew each other. When he proposed. How he proposed. How I feel about him. The list goes on and on. Once I was dressed I was taken to the dinning car where everyone was sitting around the table and wearing almost the same thing as me. Black Pants, A Black shirt with their district number on the chest , black combat boots and a red belt. I sat down at the edge of the table where no one else was sitting and ate a simple breakfast of oatmeal and berries. I popped a blueberry into my mouth and sat back as someone sat by me, I looked up to see it was bliss. She had a small smirk settled on her lips

"So, who was that boy you ran to at the reaping video" she ran her finger tops around the rim of my glass of milk. I looked down and sighed.

"His name is Auden, my fiancé" I muttered coldly, she nodded slowly and leaned back in her seat and looked at me.

"oh, well he's cute. I might have to pick him up on the victory tour to be my personal little boy toy." She stated, just trying to get on my nerves. I clenched my fists in my lap and closed my eyes, I didn't dare look at her. I didn't want to see the evil look I knew she had on her face. She gasped softly and clapped her hands together. "or even better! I'll have him sent to the capitol! I bet he'd make a wonderful avox!" she announced excitedly. My eyes shot open and I rose to my feet and slammed my fist on the table.

"AS SOON AS WE STEP INTO THAT ARENA YOU WILL BE THE FIRST I KILL! DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY AUDEN!" I blurted out and ran out once I saw everyone's eyes on me. I heard footsteps behind me timidly so I quickened my pace but the person, whoever it was, caught up and grabbed my arm and yanked me back into their arms. I just sobbed into his chest hoping this was someone I actually knew. For all I knew it could be another tribute who would want something in return for 'comforting' me in this fragile state I was in. Or even worse it could be Landen who would only make fun of me for the rest of my short life. Finally a familiar voice beckoned down to me.

"you ok?" yes, I am just fine. Some career just threatened the man I love and I screamed at her and ran out crying. Im just dandy. I looked up at brooks and his blue eyes were staring down into my green eyes. I shook my head honestly to him and he scooped me up in his arms and carried me down the hall to my room and laid me in my bed. I hugged my pillow slightly.

"don't listen to Bliss. No one thinks she's gonna win, only she does" he said with a kind smile , I just sat there silently for a few minutes before standing and looking out the window, watching landscape fly by.

"we're almost there" I grumbled just trying to get off of the subject of what just happened.

"you prepared for training?" Brooks questioned. I shrugged softly, staring out the window and saw in the distance water. My ocean. The dark blue shade and the reflection of the sun and clouds on it. I wanted to jump out of the train and go into the ocean. I would finally feet at home. There was an announcement over head saying that we would be arriving the capitol shortly. I headed to the door but Brooks stopped me by taking my hand. "Hey, cheer up pouty scouty, I miss that beautiful smile of yours" he said and planted a friendly kiss on my forehead and we both walked out.

People were waiting In the capitol for us to arrive. I stepped out and all of them resembled my odd prep team, bright hair, bright skin, piercings and tattoos. These are the ways of the capitol. We were taken to a building where we stayed for only a short amount of time, in that time we were shown our rooms which were the size of a house and then we were taken down to the training center which was on floor 14.I walked in and saw the other tributes already at work doing what they do best. The tributes from districts one and two were at hand to hand combat and Brooks past me and walked over to swordsmanship. I looked around the room and saw a trident. I smiled softly to myself; this was something I could use. I picked one up in my hand just as a boy proceeded towards me. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. From what I can remember his name was Grimm and he was from district 2 but that's all I knew about him. I lowered the trident and the boy just gave me a smug look and stood by a practice dummy "hey beautiful" he spoke in I guess was an attempt at a seductive voice. I looked at the boy, he was tall and thin, much like brooks but had long shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. It was surprising how skinny he was for being from district 2. That's where they trained peacekeepers and the kids from the careers districts are trained year round for this. He shot me a charming smile but I simply rolled my eyes then picked my trident up over my shoulder and threw it, hitting the dummy square in the chest, inches away from Grimm. He jumped back and cursed under his breath and looked at me with a slight look of awe in his eyes. I walked over and pulled the trident from the dummies chest and looked Grimm dead in the eye.

"Next time, I wont miss" I threatened with an innocent smile and headed back to my original point of aim. He padded after me like a lost puppy.

"How did you do that?" he demanded, crossing his arms and studying me as if I were some kind of freak. I just shook my head and threw my trident at the dummy again, hitting its head and taking it right off." teach me" he added and I turned and looked at him.

"Why should I ? give me one good reason" I said and he approached me slowly, wrapping his arms around my waist, I'm not going to lie, this boy is good looking but not as good looking as my Auden and this kid was a weirdo. I shook my head and tried to get away but he had a pretty tight grip

"I can offer you something that I promise you'll enjoy" I made a face of disgust and pushed him away and he stumbled back, right into brooks. Brooks grabbed him by the neck violently.

"hey, do me a favor and leave her alone" he commanded then set the boy free and he stumbled off.

"Grimmox, District 2" I stated and looked up at him and he nodded in agreement.

"Stay away from him, always. Last night he slept with Bliss, Skye and Kilo. I don't want you being next." he informed then added "plus, when it comes to combat I hear he's amazing with a spear. Be extra careful in the arena. Never turn your back to him, you do and your dead" so he was good with a spear. You didn't have to be very strong to fight with one of those, you just needed to learn how to use it right. And if he had been trained in it his whole life he would have to be good-no, he would have to be amazing. Brooks patted me on the head as if I was a child and looked at me.

"step out of your comfort zone girl scout, learn something new" he offered and lumbered away to archery. I followed him and we were given instruction. We stayed there for a while and his aim got better with each shot. Mine, unfortunately seemed to only get worse. I was missing by five feet each time. I stopped and eyed the room. Bliss was still at combat fighting someone twice her size and by the looks of it she was winning. my eyes found Darren with his head tucked behind a book on plants that are edible . I kept switching around areas until training was called to an end. I walked out of the training center and to my room where Harriett and Landen were waiting. I raised an eyebrow softly at Landen who was sitting back in his seat with a drink in his hands and Harriett was pacing back and forth, rambling about something. Landens gaze rose from the table to me and brooks.

"I saw you kids in training, you did...decent" he said plainly then chuckled softly to himself"I just hope you don't plan on getting a bow and quiver in the arena or you'll be dead within the first hour" he stood and grabbed a bread roll and took a bite out of it.

"no, im planning on a trident but in the arena you never know"I said and snatched the roll from his hands and took a bite with no sign of giving it back to him. I walk to my room and fall onto my bed and finish the roll and fall into a deep sleep out of exhaustion .Auden fills my dreams. His smile. His laugh. His constant need to protect me. The proposal echoes through my head, every moment plays back. I wake to the sound of pounding on my door. I jump up and stumble over tiredly to the door and swing it open to see Landen standing there. His eyes widen as he sees me then looks away from me, not meeting my eyes

"Scout, uh you need to get _dressed_ and ready." I wonder why hes acting so strange then I realize that im only in my underwear and bra. I run and start pulling on my pants.

"oh, im so sorry"I blush and he shrugs and leans in the doorway slightly.

"its whatever. We have a change of plans. You know how they didn't do chariot rides straight off?" I nod "well your doing that after training, today your going to present to the game makers then be taken to your prep team. Then right after that your going to be dressed for your interview. This year instead of different out fits for interview and chariots your interview gown has some to do with your district. So at the end of the interview they will reveal each tributes score and then the day after, you get in the games" I pull on my shirt and belt and sigh softly.

"What are my chances of winning?" I question,my eyes wandering up to his. A flash of nervousness hits his face for a split second then he puts on his bright smile and laughs a little

"im gonna do you a favor and not tell you." He leaves and I walk out after once I pull on my shoes. The whole suit is empty accept for brooks who was standing at the door, waiting. I smile softly, I had never ever talked to this boy at home. I knew who he was and he apparently knew who I was and knew who auden was yet we never met. But im happy that he didn't hate me , he actually seemed to care about me getting home. We both leave silently and get on the elevator and rise. I look up at him.

"what are you going to do for the game makers?" I ask , pulling my hair back . he gives me a slight shrug as the door opens

"not sure" he said softly and proceeds out of the elevator.I sit down on a bench, Bliss is gone, so is the other district one boy, madden. I gaze around the room and realize that Grimm is gone too. They must already be done and getting prepped. I sit back,beside brooks and wait. The district 2 girl gets called. Then the two district 3 kids, Kilo and Byte. I sigh softly and brooks finally gets called after about an hour and a half of sitting there. He gives me a slight hug then walks into the room confidently. Darren gets up from his seat and sits by me.

"your next" he observed.

"yep" I mumble and close my eyes, leaning my head back against the wall. I can feel his eyes on me.

"what score do you think you'll get?" he asked. I shrug and we sat there in silence. I look down at him. He was only a kid. He shouldn't be here. He was 12 years old, his name was only entered once and he had the horrible luck of getting called. He had his whole life ahead of him and he might not get to experience it. But he was mature for his age. He held himself together unlike me who had some sort of mental breakdown everytime I thought about the life I might not get to have due to these horrible games. I might not get married. I might not have a family I might not- my thoughts are interrupted as my name is called by a peacekeeper. I rise and pat Darren on the head caringly and walk in. I see other peacekepers pulling away bunches of rope. I walked over to a stand and grabbed a loop of rope and threw it over my shoulder and grabbed a trident. 4 dummies were lined up on the opposing side of the room. I looked at them then up at the panel of game makers.

"Scout Armatta, district 4" I announced and nodded respectfully then began. I threw the trident at a dummy, hitting it in the chest, knocking it over. I grabbed the rope from my shoulder and threw it so it was around the other dummies neck and yanked it quickly, tearing the head right off. I grabbed another trident and hit a dummy in the chest then ran up to one and kicked it in the shoulder and it fell off. The room fell silent and I looked up at the head game maker, Malcolm Vostro. He had a small smirk settled on his lips. I was now a big piece in his games.


	6. Chapter 6

After training I was drug out of the training center and up to a floor I had never been on before. Stylists shuffled from room to room with outfits and makeup. I saw a few other tributes being put in rooms before I was put in one and shut in by a heavy door. I sighed and waited there for only around 15 minutes before my odd little prep team walked in. Before I could say a word Avara threw a garment resembling a hospital gown at me and told me to put it on. I did as I was told and laid back on a table as Apollo and Ares stripped my body of any unwanted hair from my small legs to my uneven eyebrows.I hrt horribly but I didn't say anything . Once they finished I managed to fall asleep on the table as they did my make up and most of my hair. After waking up I find myself being stared down at by avara. I rais and eyebrow and sit up, realizing I was stark naked. My eyes widened and I tried to cover myself.

"don't worry I made the men leave" she assured me an held out a dress "step into this" she instructed and I did . she slid it up over my body and zipped up the back, smoothing down the sides "beautiful!" she grinned and turned me so I was facing a mirror. I was in a dark blue gown thatthinned once it was at my thighs to a sheer so you could see my legs. There was jeweling around the torso and no straps. It clung close to my figure but looked amazing. I had silver tattoos on my arms and streaks of metallic silver in my hair which was pulled up. my eye lashes were long and my skin had no blemishes whatsoever .I looked back at avara,speechless. She just smiled at me "you look amazing" she stated and then held up some heels, my eyes widened and I shook my head.

"do you really want me to die before I even step in the arena?" I snap at her, shaking my head, I had never worn heels before, back at home I would usually walk out barefoot unless it was stormy season and even then I just wore boots with good grip so I didn't fall off the boat.

"you're not going barefoot"she crossed her arms as if she had been reading my mind. I pouted slightly.

"please?"she shook her head more

"no. you can wear these" she pulled out another pair of shoes. They were made of the same material of the other heels just no heel. I smiled and stepped into them

"much better" she nodded and lead me out of the building and down into the square where all of the chariots were waiting. Each chariot had a district number on the side and was lead by 2 black horses.I walked over to the chariot, clearly labeled 4. Brooks turned around and looked at me, he was in a blue button down shirt, same color as my dress and black pants. I smiled softly at him.

"you look-" he started to say but another voice interrupted his before he could finish.

"beautiful" I turned around quickly and saw Grimm standing there leaning against his chariot in a white shirt, black pants and suspenders "truly beautiful" he said with a smile on his face. For being such a horrible human being , he cleaned up well. An arm wrapped around my shoulders and I looked up to see it was brooks, glaring at Grimm.

"that's nice of you Grimm now go away, she wont sleep with you shes engaged" he snapped and turned away with me and helped me into the chariot. He was swearing under his breath about grimm untnil or chariot started going forward. He plastered a fake smile on his face and waved to the adoring citizens of the capitol who would be bidding on our deaths in he next 48 hours. I forced a smile though just like im and waved . this was the firsts time we had been presented to him and we needed to make a good reputation on these people because it may be what keeps us alive in the arena. We went down a long pth and at the end of it we stopped all in a line and on a huge platform the president stood , saying treaty of treason. The president was a young man in his early 20's who had just got the title of president because our previous president died and no one knows how it happened. His nae was president Rose and to be completely honest, he scared me more than any of the other tributes could. Once that was done we left the area and went to a building and were ushered inside and up to a hallway. at the end of the hallway there was curtains and behind the curtains you could hear a roaring crowd of people and the unmistakable voice of Caesar flickerman, the host. Caesar was a very strange man, he had blue hair, much like Harriett but he almost had a new face every year due to the crazy surgery's he went through to look young. I watched as each tribute before me walked out and heard as he made jokes to make the audience laugh and the tribute look good. It was finally down to me.

"and now, district 4's one and only Scout Armatta!" he called out. I had no idea how to act, I knew Landen had said something about it that morning but I didn't bother paying attention then. I walked out gracefully and Caesar grabbed my hand and kissed it once and we both sat down in seats. He gave me a toothy grin "so scout, the whole nation is wondering. Who's the boy? "he asked instantly , leaning towards me, obviously wanting an answer. Everyone's eyes switched from me to a screen where they were displaying a picture of me and Auden being dragged apart at the reaping. I wanted to snap and cry but I forced out a kind smile.

"He's my fiancé, Auden. He proposed that very morning" I inform calmly, holding up my hand for him so he could see the ring. He gasped and admired it a moment before facing the crowd.

"isn't that wonderful everyone?" he said and the crowd went insane with smiles and cheers but in my head all I could see was Auden's teary eyes and his arms reaching out for me-no, I can afford to think about him in a time like this. I sat up straight and Caesar brought his eyes back to me

"so scout, you look amazing! How long did this take your designers?" I smiled softly.

"I honestly don't know, I had fallen asleep and woke up looking like a goddess! Avara, Apollo and Ares couldn't have done a better job!' I encourage, looking out to the front row of the crowd where they were al sitting with giant grins on their faces. Caesar laughed a little bit

"your time is almost up but would you like to say anything to your Fiancé back in district 4 through the camera?" He offered and I agreed and looked straight into the nearest camera and smiling lovingly. This was my time to take Auden's tears away, my time to let him know that I'll do anything I can to win.

"Auden, I love you big man, I'll be home room for you. We can have our wedding we always wanted. Stay safe" I said then my time was up and I rose, Caesar gave me a hug and I went back to behind the stage , hoping Auden heard me. Other tributes went out talking about who they had at home and how they liked the capitol. I found out that Darren was the youngest in a family of all brothers and his family owned a lumber company. I smiled a little and I found out in what conditions the further out districts were.

After everyone had their time for interviews our ratings went up on a screen. It showed our names , our district number then our rating. I got a 10. Brooks got an did good and I was relieved. But my eyes widened as I saw Bliss got a 12. Maybe I would be an easy target after all.


	7. Chapter 7

I didn't get a wink of sleep, only nightmares of me dying flooded my mind. I woke to a pounding on my door. Jumping to my feet I ran to the door and swung it open, standing there was Landen with his hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face.

"Ready to get slaughtered? I already wrote up your obituary! But would you like to have Livingston as your last name or your madden name, Armatta?" he remarked. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or making some kind of sick joke but I glared at him either way and he stopped and then threw some clothes at me." get ready" he instructed "we leave for the hover craft in 10 minutes" I nod in agreement and step into the bathroom and change into the outfit he had given me. It was a pair of dark blue denim pants, thick leather hunting boots, a leather belt, and a plain white tee shirt. I stepped back into the main part of the cabin again and he was sitting on my bed with a hand running back through his hair. "Oh and I need your ring" he stated as if it were a simple thing.

"What? No!' I disagreed and shook my head quickly.

"Scout-"he started but I cut him off before he got a chance to speak anymore.

"No! It's all I have left of him! I won't take it off!" I shouted, Landen quickly rose and shoved me into the wall and grabbed my wrists, pinning them above me head and lifted me so I wasn't touching the ground.

"Calm down! You'll get it back! The game makers just want to inspect it so it's not a weapon of any type!' he slid the ring off my finger and dropped me and left the room without another room. I dropped to my knees and started crying my eyes out. I couldn't take it. I couldn't accept it. Today I was going to the arena, away from humanity. I might have to leave him, my Auden. I sobbed and lay in the middle of my floor. I must have been pretty loud because moment later brooks walked in and saw me. He sighed and helped me up and wiped my tears.

"c'mon... We have to go" he said quietly and led me to the elevator and we were taking up to the top level. The doors opened and light broke through the darkness and I looked up at the sun, beaming down on us. I stood up straight and wiped the remainders of my tears, I wasn't going to come across as weak. I walked out strongly and peacekeepers lead us onto the hovercraft and we were taken to small rooms where Avara was standing, with a big smile on her face. She helped me get ready for most likely the last time, she tied my hair back and looked at me and grinned .

"You really love that boy, don't you?" she asked and a peacekeeper walked in as she finished my hair and put a needle in my arm that inserted tracking chip. I looked up at her and she was picking up knitted sweater the color of wheat and put it over my body and smiled.

"What? Who?" I asked, she pulled out a jacket that was a dark shade of green and helped me slide my slender arms into it.

"That boy back in district 4 that you plan on marrying, silly girl" she buttoned up the jacket then pulled my ring from a small box and slid it on my finger gently. "I mean you must love him a lot to just be talking about him nonstop when the capitol could take him at any moment if you do anything wrong" I stopped and I stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wait, what?" I asked softly then a voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

"30 seconds!" Avara just smiled sadly and motioned me to a glass tube and I stepped in, still freaking out quite a bit but not about the games, about Auden.

"Answer me, Avara!" I demanded and she simply shook her head and kissed my cheeks.

"Stay safe scout" she said kindly and the glass tube closed around me and I rose up through levels and levels of land. After about 3 seconds light broke through the tube and I was in a huge meadow with the other tributes spread out on panels, all about 30 feet away from a cornucopia that was filled to the rim with weapons and packs with food and tools you might need in your time in the arena. In the sky there were numbers projected up counting down from 10, as soon as it reaches zero the games will being. I see bliss leaning forward ready to run and kill anything in her path.

"5..." I see Grimm looking at some guy from another district as if he was imagining his death in his head.

"4..." I turn and view Darren who is now, for the first time since I met him, looking scared. He was about to loose his life because I knew there was no way he could win, that was the lousy truth and I'm pretty sure he knew it too.

"3..." I then spot Brooks eyeing a coil of rope and a sword in the cornucopia with a small smile on his face. I knew he was going to head for it but I needed it just as much as he did. This wasn't a place for friends anymore.

"2..." sure, he held me when I cried and tried to comfort me on the train but time for making friends was over. Now it really was life or death. And I couldn't risk my life to save his butt.

"1..." My eyes now move to the cornucopia and I see a trident at the entrance of it and I smirk to myself. It was mine, I needed it or I wouldn't survive for a day.

"0-let the 16th annual hunger games begin!" a voice echoed out and I took off running along with everyone else and we raced to the cornucopia. This was going to be a bloodbath and the capitol just loved it. This time separated the weak from the strong. A person running in front of me got a sword in the chest and toppled over, I simply jumped over his body and grabbed my trident and took off for the woods but then I was taken to the ground by the district 9 girl. She had a smirk on her face and grabbed the trident from my hands.

"looks like you wont make it to your wedding!" she snapped and about plunged the trident into my neck but then an axe hit the back of her head and she collapsed off of me and I scrambled to my feet, not bothering to look for the person who threw the knife and took off towards the woods. I saw a body in the entrance of the woods and it had a pack on its back. I grabbed it off of the body and kept running through the woods. I wasn't used to running this fast and this much at one time, I never really found use for running at home so I got tired fast.

Once I got to a clearing I stopped and leaned against a tree, catching my breath. I stopped and stood up, smelling the air. There was no salt water in this arena that was a fact. And from listening, it didn't sound like there was running water like a river anywhere near me. I sighed and sat down and opened the pack I had stolen from the body and searched through it. it had a pocket knife and a empty water bottle. I sighed and jumped as a familiar voice spoke

"let your guard down already district 4?" Grimm said with a smirk on his lips and his spear held up towards me. Great, he caught me unarmed and he had a weapon, not only a weapon but the weapon he was trained best in. he could kill me at any moment. But why hadn't he killed me yet? Did he want to see me suffer? Taunt me before death?

"Grimm..." I muttered and rose slowly; he smirked and held up his spear to my chest. I glance down at my trident, it was at my feet, and then back at Grimm, he lowered his spear and smiled at me

"Listen, I want to be your friend in this dammed arena, because your not someone I want as an enemy." The moment he lowers his spear I picked up my trident and held it up defensively.

"Why would I trust you?" I snapped, he just shrugged a little and leaned back against a tree.

"Because you can't really trust anyone else in here" he reminded me, plain and simple. I study him a moment. He had two packs hanging from his shoulder and blood on his hands. He had already killed someone, no doubt.

"What about the careers?" I asked. he was district 2. He was given training his whole life for this and he wanted to team up with a district 4 girl? District 4 was included in the careers most years just depending on the tributes.

"What about them?" he questioned "your district 4, why aren't you with the careers? What's stopping you?" he dropped the backpacks to the ground and looked up at me with his grey eyes.

"Because I'm not bloodthirsty and I have someone depending on me at home" I explained and he just nodded

"exactly, I have someone at home too, so here's the thing district 4,we're allies until we're down to the bottom 8 and then we split up and run separate ways and hope for the best" I nod slowly in agreement, the plan sounded fair enough." well then lets get out of here" he started heading down a hill.

We walk for hours and the sun began to go down. This arena was much bigger than I had originally thought. He stopped and I paused behind him. He threw the packs on the ground and propped his spear against a tree.

"we need to set up camp" he stated and opened his packs and threw me a thin sleeping bag and pulled some dried beef from his second bag and threw me a piece "we'll hunt in the morning, not now, the game wont be out" he poured out the rest of the contents of his pack. In all we had one sleeping bag, 2 empty water bottles, some matches, 2 pocket knives and some rope. I slid into the sleeping bag and leaned my head against a tree," get some sleep, scout"

"No, I don't trust you yet" I yawned softly "you sleep, I'll guard camp" Grimm just burst out into laughter and shook his head some more.

"No, sleep. I wont do anything scout, I promise" I slid my arms out of my sleeping bag and held my trident.

"A promise doesn't mean much in here" I say coldly. He sighed softly and looked me in the eyes.

"Trust me" he said plainly and with that I did trust him slightly. Even if he did kill me it would at least be in my sleep. That showed some mercy, right? I fell into a deep sleep, praying he would spare my life.


End file.
